A/N: Written for a rare pair exchange. This story references the book Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach, but it should still make sense without reading that particular book.
Learn to Fly
What would it be like to fly?
Walter was daydreaming out in the woods near his hometown, half-asleep or somewhere around there. If you could just take off into the sky and go anywhere… would there be anywhere to go? Old tales said that Mikado was the one safe haven in a ruined world. Normally he'd just accept that. But, was it true? When he looked down the edge at the brink of the kingdom, he could see a massive expanse of water far below. That was the ocean. What would it be like to fly down there and touch the waves up close?
It was a silly thing to think about; humans couldn't fly. But a neighbor of his had been telling him about this book she'd read just yesterday. It was about a seagull who lived to fly and risked defying his community in order to pursue that dream. At first, he'd thought it was one of those silly fairy tales. Walter had never bothered to learn reading as it was of no use to a fisherman. Some guys did learn reading if only because it impressed the girls who could read. Girls had more use for reading as they passed along those morality tales and fairy stories when they were mothers.
But this story, it made him wonder about flying away from this life. He didn't like fishing that much; there was something grotesque about a fish's eyes and scales, and then there was the mess of cleaning them up to be edible. He didn't even like eating fish, since he'd gotten sick a few times because of bad ones. Not only that, but he didn't fit into town well. Walter tended to speak his mind and a lot of his neighbors couldn't handle that. They told him that he should be more polite; he preferred staying out of town when he could get away with it. However, it was the life he was born into. It was the life he had to lead… but did it have to be that way?
There was the chance that he could become a samurai in a few days. Then he could escape this fate of a job he disliked and that town that was admittedly dull. However, it was well known that Casualry didn't normally become samurai even if the gauntlet rite was open to all. What could he do to better his chances?
If he could just fly… feel the wind beneath wings and go see if the world was really in ruins…
Something stroked his stomach. "It's my day off, go away," Walter murmured. Someone might be playing a prank on him. However, they continued right up his chest while still touching his stomach. He opened his eyes and came face to face with a black inhuman eyes.
He came wide awake immediately, staring at the strange creature that decided to slither over him. It had a long body without limbs, like an eel except eels didn't live on land. With gray scales spotted with black, its body stood out in the green grass. It went about five feet before it disappeared into the bushes. It flicked out a forked tongue and stared back.
Then a woman called out from nearby. "Sweetie? Where are you?" The creature looked off in that direction.
"Uh, over here?" Walter called back, getting the creature to look back at him. Would it hurt him? It had a large mouth.
"Here you are!" the woman said in delight, coming out from behind some trees. She wasn't anyone that he recognized; she had short black hair that curled close to her head and strangely pale skin that almost blended with her simple white dress. She came right up to his side and invited the creature to rest its head in her hands. "Aren't you a naughty girl, wandering off on your own and messing with a local boy? I'm sorry if she startled you, but Sweetie wouldn't hurt a guy unless I was angry with him."
"It's okay, she just woke me up," he said, not wanting to admit to being afraid for a moment. "Er, what is she?"
"She's a snake," she said, waving to her pet to get him freed. "I found her in one of the wilder areas, raised her up since she was little. And I'm Yuriko, nice to meet you."
"Yeah, I'm Walter, same to you," he said, sitting up once he could. "I haven't seen you two around town before."
Yuriko smiled at him. "I travel around where I can, seeing what there is to see and meeting all kinds of people. There's no better way to expand your mind, after all. Although, people here all seem the same, drabs souls caught up in castes and faith. I've been passing out books to help stimulate your minds. Oh, and it seems you already have one, good!"
He picked up the dark blue book where it had slipped to his side. "Yeah, I got it from a neighbor, but she forgot that I can't read. Never saw a point to it, the fishermen all teach by example."
"That's unfortunate; writing is a way of preserving knowledge and wisdom for future generations, so that they can learn even more than they could on their own. You could come to a Sabbath and learn to read there." She sat down by him and tipped the book to see the cover. "Hmm, Jonathan Livingston Seagull. That's an inspirational fable, relating things that cannot be easily put into words. It shows how personal drive can lead to success, among other valuable lessons. Did she read it to you?"
"No, she just talked about how it was about a seagull who loved flying," Walter said. "Can it really teach things? It sounds like some kind of dream."
"Why don't I read it to you and see what you think about it?" Yuriko said, seeming happy to offer. Her snake settled in at her side, laying her head on her lap. "It's a short one, so it won't take us long to get through it."
She wasn't like any woman he'd ever met and they'd only been talking for a brief while. Was she as smart as those in the Monastery? Walter hadn't thought an intelligent woman would pay him any heed, much less someone of unusual beauty like Yuriko. "All right, I'll listen," Walter said, smiling back.
While it was a pleasant thing to sit and listen to her, he found that he was interested in the story as well. He had to stop her at a few points to ask her about things; she would patiently explain what he didn't know, not making him feel ashamed for having to ask. It had far more strange ideas that just flying: accepting being an outcast to pursue one's passions, neglecting mundane things (even eating) in pursuit of perfection, even being something more than the flesh and blood being that was in the world. While it was strange, someone had thought those ideas important enough to write down and preserve.
Was there something he could be passionate enough about that he'd risk the disapproval of his neighbors and family?
There was something fascinating about Tokyo. It was ruined, a land that should be dead. However, the people still survived. They must have struggled day to day. Somehow, they seemed more lively than the people of Mikado. Walter enjoyed talking with some of them, learning what life could be like without social barriers. In face, one of the most admirable people he now knew had been from Tokyo; Kaga and her peers had willingly sacrificed themselves in order to get rid of a seemingly invincible demon. While it would be a dangerous life, he thought he could enjoy this underground city more than his homeland.
Although that didn't matter now. They'd finally gotten into the Ring of Gaea to confront the Black Samurai, only to find out that she was not only their leader, but also a demon called Lilith. And, she was the mysterious woman who'd read that book to him in the woods. Walter didn't like the thought of killing her now. To be honest, he hadn't liked it this whole time. The samurai were supposed to protect people, not be sent to kill them.
She didn't even want to hurt people, at least Walter hoped she didn't. She just wanted to teach them more than they knew. How was she supposed to know that it could lead to people turning into demons so quickly? Perhaps the ways of Mikado were truly absurd.
As he checked over the bed at this hovel, he recalled that one guy they'd seen turn into a demon. Issachar… he'd been making sense up until he openly transformed. And even then, Walter found himself agreeing a bit. Mikado's society wouldn't work without the hard work of the Casualry, but it was the Luxurors that benefited most from that work. But that was a dangerous belief to bring up, especially around people like Jonathan.
There was also how that incident with Issachar had affected Flynn. He'd always been dedicated and enthusiastic about being a samurai. But after that tragedy, he grew more serious. He'd kept working in spite of his grief. Flynn was quietly contemplative on occasion, usually at times like this when they were taking a break to sleep. Of course, that could be over a lot of the questionable things they'd been doing.
A man who worked for the inn knocked before entering. "Sorry about the wait, I've got some dinner for you."
Jonathan then spoke to him, but something past the man caught Walter's eyes. Large black spots moved just above the floor, revealing a long gray body hiding in plain sight. When the snake turned its head to see into the room, it looked right at him for a second. Then it slithered away.
Was that her pet? He'd not seen any snake other than Sweetie. "I'm going for a walk," Walter said, getting up from the bed he'd taken.
"Are you going to take off again?" Jonathan asked skeptically. They had let Isabeau take the smaller room for privacy, so it left the three of them to take the other room they could rent.
"I'm leaving my stuff here, why would I go far?" Walter said.
"Let him go, I'm sure he'll be back," Flynn said, checking through some of his inventory.
"Right, excuse me." He headed out, careful not to step on the snake's tail as he came out. Once they were down the hall and near the stairs, he was walking alongside the snake's head. "What are you doing here?"
The snake didn't reply, but carried on down the stairs as if lacking legs didn't stop her at all. She did get stopped by lacking hands, as she lifted her head up and looked to him when they came to a shut door. Knowing she was mostly harmless, Walter knocked on door since this was probably another inn room. Sweetie watched the door.
A girl giggled inside, to be hushed by a woman. "Behave yourself now," a familiar woman's voice said. Then the door opened, revealing a white-skinned woman with an insectoid black shell. "Hello Walter! I'm glad you took my invitation."
Taking the door frame in surprise, Walter stared at her. "Yur...Lillith? What are you doing here?"
"I felt like it, mostly seeing you again without the distractions of the others," she said, then opened the door further. "Come on in. And call me whatever you're comfortable with; you defended me, so you earned that right."
"All right, Yuriko." She wasn't exactly dressed for company, with much of her front torso exposed. Then again, she was a demon; human rules wouldn't apply to her. Her room wasn't different from theirs: clean but worn, trying to be cheerful with old colorful decorations. There were three Lilims sitting at a low table in the center of the room.
"Oo, do we have a man to have fun with at our party?" one of the Lilims asked eagerly while the other two giggled.
"Don't be too hasty with this friend," Yuriko said, then nodded to him. "Well I did invite a few of my little girls along. Don't be afraid to tell them to back off."
"But Mooooommm," another Lilim whined. Yuriko hushed her.
"They're your children?" Looking over them, they did all have black hair and pale skin.
"In a sense," Yuriko said, taking a bottle out of an ice-filled bucket. "I'll get you a drink; take what snacks you want. Did you find the way into Tayama's base?"
"Yeah, but the others wanted to break for sleep. Can't blame them, we've done a lot today." All she had for snacks was toast with jam, but it was more appealing than the weird demon meat that made up most of the food here. But she gave him a glass of white wine to drink, an odd combination.
They talked for a while, not on anything serious. Eventually, she did bring up the strange combination of wine and toast. "I have been to Mikado several times and I make sure that I bring food back down to Tokyo. But it's only enough for a few people, a few days. It's okay, though, since I wouldn't want people to become completely dependent on what I do. That's not the way to help them become wise and strong."
"Right, that makes sense," Walter said. If they always got handouts, they'd be no better than the Mikado Luxurors. But some help couldn't hurt if they worked on their own. This seemed like a good point to talk about something he'd been wondering about. "Yuriko, I didn't want to bring this up around the other guys, but did you know your books would change the people of Mikado so drastically?"
Her upper insect arms coiled around. "I wouldn't want to tell your other guys either, but no, I didn't expect them to turn demonic. And so fast too. They barely had their minds opened; it was like their own bodies were revolting against the old ideas as well. I knew Mikado would be soft from a sheltered existence, but I've never seen anything like that before. However, you seem to be okay so far. You shouldn't have any problems with learning more."
"That sucks," Walter said. "But maybe their minds weren't strong enough to handle knowledge beyond what they were allowed." So then as much as it hurt Flynn, his friend's mind had been weak. What about Flynn himself? He'd seemed curious about the books from the baker, but they hadn't had time among their training and duties to read much as a lot of books were bigger than the one Walter had. "If those who are strong take control of the world, then many people are going to die, huh."
"It is the way of nature," Yuriko said, pointing to her snake. "Predators like Sweetie here cull the weak among their prey. The mice try to make up for it with numbers. If snakes were to hold back out of what the angels call kindness, the mice would overwhelm the world, starving everyone including themselves. But the snakes themselves must beware not to fall to higher predators like eagles. They are stronger than the mice, but must keep themselves strong in order to avoid a total wipe-out by the eagles, which would again lead the weak little mice to take over."
"Kind of like how it is here in Tokyo even though the humans and demons prey on each other," Walter said, thinking aloud. "Only the strong can survive like that. But then they protect their own weak ones in these underground towns."
"There is a sense in protecting children since they will grow to be strong and wise one day," she said. "But to protect everyone who is weak, like those who are often ill or the very elderly when neither can contribute anything to society, that keeps those who are strong from expressing their fullest potential. Those who are stuck on the ground by excuses of tradition, honor, and duty, excuses they never think about for themselves, will never be able to fly."
"Well humans can't fly," he said.
Yuriko chuckled at that. "Perhaps not literally. But if you realize what it truly means to fly, you'll find out that you can."
"Like in that book?" Walter asked, curious about this. "What do you mean?"
"Leave behind all that holds you back and let your soul fly beyond all expectations," she said, reaching over to clasp his wrist with her most human-like appendage. "People who are weak but think they are in control will limit those who are stronger with morals and expectations. It keeps those who are strong, like you, thinking that they must stay in place with the others so as not to disturb the bland order. When you realize that their limits are all that's keeping you on the ground with them, you can easily fly out of their reach and find your true place in the sky."
There was a voice inside him that said this wasn't right. It was just fancy nonsense. But, could that be a limiting voice that Mikado society had instilled in him? He hadn't dreamed he could be anything more than a fisherman until just hearing about his book let him wonder would could be beyond Mikado. "So it's a poetic kind of flight?" he asked.
Smiling, she nodded. Looking at her now, she was beautiful in spite of her strangeness. "Exactly. And just like in the book about Jonathan Seagull, it will make more sense when you allow yourself to do it. I hope you learn to fly soon." She tugged at his arm. "Oh, but I think if we go any further into serious subjects, my girls will get bored and start causing trouble."
"Well duh, if you're going to break out the wine just for talking," one of the Lilim said, pouring herself another glass.
"You just don't have the patience to be a sophisticated lady," another said, although her tail was twitching.
"How about we put on some music and do some dancing?" Yuriko said, getting cheers from two Lilim and a smile from the one who thought she was being sophisticated. "This body isn't much good for dancing with a human, although that's easily fixed." Her body was absorbed in a brief glow before she reappeared in the human form he'd first met her in.
Except that she wasn't wearing the dress. Or anything at all. While he'd been able to keep collected with her more demonic form, seeing her like this made Walter's heart jump. This was definitely not a proper meeting between an unmarried man and woman now. But she was flawlessly beautiful. Just looking at her gave him such a forbidden thrill that he wondered if feelings like this were what she meant by her poetic flight.
When she got to her feet, he obediently followed her. "One of you go pick a song list to play," she told the Lilim, then looked him in the eyes and drew closer. "Don't worry if you haven't danced with a woman much. I'll lead the way."
"S-sure," he said, not about to leave now. He followed her a few steps away from the low table, but the sound of his boots made him think of something. "Oh, but, let me take my boots off first. I, uh, I wouldn't want to step on your bare toes with them."
She had a rosy kind of glow to her; maybe it was the wine. "Such a gentleman, though I wouldn't mind it if you let yourself be wilder than that."
Could he just let go of civilized restraint and be as wild as she asked? Walter chucked a little awkwardly, but still took a moment to pull his boots off as quickly as he could. He expected her to take both of his hands when he came back. Instead, she pulled him even closer, wrapping one arm round his back while holding his other hand. Their bare chests touched as he'd always declined to wear the full uniform.
Walter hardly heard the music, only feeling the heavy excited heart-like beat it had. Yuriko spoke to him, giving him instructions. All that mattered was his sweet voice; Jonathan had no idea what he was talking about as these were the truly honeyed words and he didn't want them to stop. Why did Walter have to let anyone hold him back? As long as Yuriko was with him, he knew that his soul could fly. Perhaps he could do so on his own before long.
Before Walter realized it, he was kissing her lips in an intense passion he'd never known… and she stopped him with her fingers partly under his scarf. "Now now, your friends will be expecting you back."
"I don't care," he said, wanting her to keep leading him so he could stay longer. Perhaps forever.
"But your passions would satisfy both of us much more if we give them some time to age like a proper wine," Yuriko said. "Not only that, but they would come looking for you again, wouldn't they?"
"You've got a point," he said reluctantly. In that case, he might just take an actual walk in this area to clear his head. It would be so much better if she let him stay.
She took her hand off his chest and stroked his chin. "You're a rare man, one who fascinates me far more than most. I hope to see you alone again, soon. For now, why don't you take one of my girls with you? They're a wonderful asset for battle, and for more personal matters. And should you need to get away from those who would hold you back, you know how effective they can be at distracting others."
"All right, I'd like that," Walter said. It wouldn't be the same, but maybe the connection would bring him close to Yuriko later on.
"Oo, I could have him all to myself?" one of the Lilim asked greedily.
"Not you, you're too eager to bunk him," Yuriko said, confusing Walter for a moment. Then she gestured to another. "You grasp the idea of patience and sophistication, so you will go with him."
The one flew up, a bright smile on her face. "Okay, thank you! I'll be nice to him. I'm Lilim of the Night, I hope you'll be nice to me too."
After making sure that the Lilim was registered as one of his demons, Walter put his boots back on and went outside for a moment. There was no fresh air down here, just a dusty faint old breeze like everywhere else. The quiet at least helped calm him down. If they'd had more time and he wasn't expected back, how far would she have taken him? He really wanted to go back to Flynn and Jonathan and tell them that he'd stay somewhere else for the night. While Flynn might have the courtesy to let him, Jonathan would surely ask him what he was up to, and scold him again for going to see Yuriko. Jonathan wouldn't understand; he was too numbed by his childhood as a Luxuror and ideals of holding up tradition.
Was there some way to convince Flynn to embrace Yuriko's ideals too? Maybe Isabeau would be easier as she was so indecisive. The two of them could sway Flynn, and then they could abandon Jonathan unless he was willing to give up his prejudices. God and His angels had left Mikado in its stagnation, not even helping out against the outbreak of humans turning into demons. Perhaps those were signs that they should all be embracing the demonic instead.
He was still tempted to go back to Yuriko's room, but went back upstairs instead. The other two were still up, a portion of the food left for him. Although, Jonathan was leaning against the wall while seated on his bed, a familiar blue-covered book open in his hand. "Hoy, what are you doing with that?" Walter asked, annoyed. Although if he found the message of the book, maybe things could change.
"Well it had my name on it," Jonathan said with a friendly sort of smile on his face. He closed the book and tossed it over to him. "It's highly unusual to find Mikado-style names written like this, so of course I was going to be curious why you had it. I thought you couldn't read much of the mystic script."
"It was a gift from a neighbor, so it's more sentimental, okay?" he said, giving it a quick glance over. "And Burroughs can read it for me when I feel like it."
"But where did they get it from?" Jonathan said, looking at him in concern, or suspicion. "It's unusual for more than just the name: one of the first pages notes that it was translated. Was it from Lilith originally?"
"Nothing's happen to me, so I don't think so," Walter said.
"I hope it's not, although I'm not interested in reading it further," he said.
"I wanted to hear it finished," Flynn said.
"Well it doesn't have a consistent message," Jonathan said. "The seagull decided he would stop making trouble for his flock and live a normal life, but then immediately discarded that promise to himself when he got a new idea."
"It's consistent when you read it the whole way through," Walter said, offering the book back. "How far did you get?"
"The flock had gathered for a meeting," Jonathan said, looking away. "But that Jonathan was too prideful in his accomplishments, so I could tell it wasn't going to end well."
"That's barely out of the first part, come on, it's short," Walter said.
"Shouldn't you reserve judgment on a book until you've read it through?" Flynn asked, then shrugged. "I haven't read any myself, and I don't know all the characters in there. Would you please continue?"
Although he sighed, Jonathan took the book back. "All right, Flynn, if you want to hear it all. I hope it does get better."
Jonathan was puzzled by the book when he finished, but Flynn at least thought it was interesting.
As he was approaching his room in the barracks, Lilim called herself out and clung onto his back. "Walter, can I help you relax?"
"Not now, I need to hurry," he said. "Yuriko's in danger, but I'm not going to come back here." He should tell Lilim to go back to his gauntlet so as not to spook others. But he was giving up on being a samurai, so he didn't care to do so.
"You don't have to worry about Mom, she's tough," Lilim said, carefree as usual. "She's had the ire of YHVH and a lot of mankind for a loooong time. But she'll be happy you're on her side, just like we are."
Back in his room, he realized that he didn't need much time to pack. Some extra change of clothes, his snack stash since he wouldn't get anything like them down in Tokyo… Walter hadn't brought much since he'd come from the Casualry and he hadn't had time to buy anything extra in the time since. There were a few little gifts from his family, like a good-luck feathered charm hanging near his bed. Since he was abandoning his country, he may as well abandon any ties to his family and old friends. They didn't matter anymore.
There was some apprehension in realizing that. He'd been caught up in anger over the blindness Jonathan had over their mission, as well as some horror in seeing for himself what angels were truly like. At the time, it hadn't mattered about anything else. He wasn't going to let them kill Yuriko; he wasn't going to abandon his humanity after discovering it. But that meant leaving behind all he knew, people he had loved…
...he'd loved them, but they were remaining blind and deaf to real world wisdom. He'd just end up arguing with them or letting himself be blinded again. By leaving them behind, Walter would be free to pursue his own vision of perfection. He would make himself strong enough to shape the world, allowing others to contribute if they could follow his example.
But what about Flynn? He'd taken Walter's side several times and didn't seem as adverse to changing the world. He'd also taken Jonathan's side several times, trying to keep them from arguing too much. Maybe he needed a few more minutes to decide on this? Flynn was serious about his duty, but he didn't hold the code as absolute as Jonathan. If people were in trouble, Flynn was going to help them. And he knew the difference that strength meant; Flynn was arguably the strongest of their group. Wouldn't it make sense for Flynn to help Walter?
"What'chu waiting for?" Lilim asked, still clinging to his back.
"I'm seeing if Flynn will show up," Walter said, stopping by a window in the hall that looked down towards the statue of King Aquila. "If he joins me, we'll be pretty much unstoppable. Don't get me wrong, I'll give my all to protect Yuriko and fulfill her wishes for a stronger world." But surely Flynn understood his point, the angels meant to conquer Mikado entirely and force everyone to remain in ignorance.
Surely he would.
He spotted a young man in a blue samurai coat heading towards the entrance to Naruku. It might be someone else, the long ponytail wasn't an uncommon style. He couldn't be willingly blind and going along with stupidly loyal Jonathan.
Lilim pulled herself up and leaned towards the window. "Isn't that Mr. Flynn down over there? Doesn't look like he's coming this way."
"Dammit," Walter muttered, then hurried down the hall so suddenly that Lilim gripped tighter to stay with him.
It was probably about Issachar. While Flynn seemed open to Yuriko's ideas when they didn't come from her, he couldn't let that old friendship die even if he had to end his friend's suffering himself. Walter should have expected the obvious. Well if he wasn't going to let the past go, then forget about him. It still made Walter's face burn in embarrassment and anger; he wasn't going to let himself cry over that, he could discard Flynn's friendship like the rest. It just hurt far more because he'd let himself hope that this wouldn't happen.
Still not caring to recall Lilim, he hurried to the terminal. That wait might have cost him what lead he had over Jonathan, since he and Flynn would be much closer. The best he could hope for was that one of them decided to pick up supplies or thought they could go to the barracks and convince him to join them. Like he would ever do that; he would not betray Yuriko. Walter knew he could get back to her quicker once he was in Tokyo, but he didn't want to cross paths with them before speaking to her.
Thankfully, the terminal room was empty when he arrived. There was no terminal in the Gaea temple, but Ginza was so close that it didn't matter. One couldn't say that the air down here was better than up in Mikado, but at least it was more honest with itself. Ignoring everything else, Walter headed straight for the temple.
One of the Gaeans met him outside. "So you're the one who came back," he said. "Lady Yuriko knows all; she said that at least one of you would return to help."
"Yeah, but the others will not be here to help," Walter said. "Don't let them in."
He nodded. "There's several of us on patrol out here, and inside. We've already caught some of the Ashura-kai skulking about. Go on ahead. If you'll excuse me, I need to track down one that tried to slip away."
Inside, Lilim glanced around. "It's usually sweaty, smokey, and stinky around here. I don't see why Mom hangs out in this place; I prefer nicer perfumed areas."
"They're people who've learned from her wisdom, so of course she'll stick with them," Walter said.
"Well I try to be wise too, but I'm just a Lilim," she said, resting her head on his shoulder now. "Someday, I'll getcha."
"What are you talking about?" he asked, glancing at her black hair trailing down his shoulder.
She giggled. "Mom must really like you to be patient; I have to be that way too because that's what she wants. Be nice to her, okay? Someday, she'll show you how to really fly and maybe I'll get to help."
"What?" he asked again, but this time Lilim only giggled.
On getting to the main temple, one of the Gaeans showed him how to access Lilith's room. It was the same as last time. Lit by many candles, she waited for him inside a circle of pillars. Something tingled on the back of his neck as he passed between the pillars. While it was in the same room, this area was a different space somehow. Off to the side, there was a more human sitting area around a coffee table; a tea cart sat to the side. The room was barely furnished otherwise.
"Walter, I'm glad to see you again," Yuriko said, smiling even though it didn't appear as easy in her more demonic form.
"Jonathan and Flynn are going to come here and kill you even after seeing Tayama's secret operations," Walter said, not wanting to waste time. "We should get you out of here, Yuriko."
She nodded like she already knew. "I was expecting that out of your one friend. Then your wavering friend decided to side with him. What of the indecisive girl?"
"I don't know what Isabeau's doing," he said. "And I don't care, I've left them all behind. I agree with you, the rotten world should be remade by those who are worthy. So we can't let them find you."
"No, I'd rather you go start the test of everyone else to see who is worthy and who is not. I'll stay and reveal to them the tragic nature of their choices."
"No!" Walter said, going over to her. Lilim finally let him go. "They mean to kill you; I don't want that to happen. I want to protect you, I..."
Before he could continue, Yuriko put her human hand on his cheek. "That passionate spite makes your soul burn like the most beautiful fire," she said warmly, puzzling him for a moment. "I'm glad that my sparks of wisdom managed to ignite one person's soul properly. But don't you remember?" She tapped his nose playfully. "Your former people have already killed me once and here I stand before you. If your former companions kill me again, it won't hinder me. In fact, I've planned on it. I'm fully prepared to face them and lose a battle."
"What?" Walter took her hand and had to squeeze his eyes shut to not cry. He didn't want to look weak in front of her. While she was right, he still didn't like the idea of her dying again.
She leaned closer and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm counting on you, Walter," she said to him. "I may lose a battle, but we won't lose the war."
There were three of the National Defense Divinities standing in his way to the Yamato Perpetual Reactor. Walter wasn't afraid of them. In fact, he had some pity for them. Koga Saburo, Omoikane, and even the shattering Michizane here were only trying to stop him because Tayama ordered them to. Still, he wasn't going to get too emotional over them. His goal should be just ahead of him. Nothing else could matter.
For some reason, Lilim was giggling and twirling around. "Oh, I feel such a surge of power after that battle! Hee hee, I think I can become even more beautiful!"
Wasn't this like how Jonathan's angels kept turning into more powerful versions as he battled with them? Walter didn't stop her from what she was doing, spinning her body so fast that she turned into a blur. She transformed into more of a grown woman, keeping the black hair but turning her wings into… a black spotted gray snake? She didn't have clothes and was very familiar to him.
"Yuriko?" Walter asked, startled. She was really with him now?
She put her hand under her beloved snake's head. "Didn't I say that I wouldn't be hindered by death? As long as one of my darling daughters is in the world, I can be reborn through any of them. They would have to hunt down and kill every last Lilim in existence to be rid of me." She looked at him and smiled. "There's far more of them then you have met."
For a moment he smiled back. "That's great to hear. But then, they'll be coming here soon and I've killed off the major obstacles already." Walter glanced at the door. "We should be able to reach the Reactor now, once we find it."
"It's in the lowest part of this facility," Yuriko said. She might already know how to get there. "Well then, I can count on one hand the number of men I've allowed to take any command of me. That would include you as one of those rare exceptions. If we had the time, I'd love to show you my non-combat prowess." She chuckled. "But that will have to wait. Have you learned to fly?"
He had an idea of what she meant. "Yeah. Mikado doesn't matter to me anymore, not the people there and not even the status of being a samurai. Even the people of Tokyo must be further tried and tested if someone like Tayama could take control. I'm ready to give up everything I have in order to find out what I can truly do."
"That's good," she said, putting a hand to her cheek. "You're about to jump off a cliff; you need faith in yourself if you're going to survive that and surpass the challenge it presents."
"I'm ready, you'll see."